


Who needs a hand when they have a hero

by S_Nebulosa



Series: There's no such thing as too many hugs (or fics about them) [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Nebulosa/pseuds/S_Nebulosa
Summary: Lena hurts her hand and calls Kara (and Alex) for help. They end the night watching movies and cuddling and Lena has a realisation when Kara tucks her in and leaves for the night.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: There's no such thing as too many hugs (or fics about them) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429489
Comments: 34
Kudos: 336





	Who needs a hand when they have a hero

Her hands tremble and she can barely get her phone out of her pocket. It takes her some wiggling around and several pained attempts before she has a good hold on the device and can get it in her hand. 

Halfway through bringing up her contact list, Lena realises the car engine is still running. Briefly forgetting the entire reason she’s sitting in the car, panic rushing through her entire body, she reaches out her free hand to cut the engine. With a pained yelp she pulls her hand back, cradling the throbbing fingers to her chest as she softly curses herself in between sobs. 

She tries to fight the tears, but it doesn’t work. Her hand is aching so much and she doesn’t know what to do. She can barely think. 

Deep breaths. In.... Out.... In.... Out.... she reminds herself. When the worst of the throbbing as receded and her hand is no longer hurting so much she can’t think of anything else, her thoughts drift back to her phone. She was trying to call someone.

First things first, though. With her good hand she cuts the engine.

Next, she picks up her phone again and looks up Kara’s contact information. She’s still trembling slightly as she presses the dial button and brings the phone to her ear. 

“ _Hey Lena,_ ” Kara greets enthusiastically but with a little surprise. Lena knows she isn’t one to just call out of the blue.

So as not to worry Kara, she tries to keep her voice steady and strong.

“Hey.”

She does not succeed. Even to her own ears her voice sounds small and frail.

“ _Lena? Are you okay?_ ” Kara’s entire tone of voice has changed. From happy surprise to extreme worry.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lena breathes out, “I just kinda tried to clean up some stuff and fell off a chair and on my hand. I tried driving to the hospital, but I can’t. My hand hurts really bad,” Lena admits shakily.

“ _Where are you now?_ ”

“I’m at home in my car.”

“ _Can you go back inside? I’m gonna leave here now and come over._ ” Lena can hear Kara start packing through her phone. 

“Okay, yes. I can do that.” With her hurt hand still held close to her body, Lena fumbles to get the door open with her other. Her phone is clamped between her ear and shoulder. 

“ _I think you should also call Alex,_ ” Kara suggests. " _She’s a lot better at this medical stuff than I am._ ” 

Lena takes a deep breath. Kara’s right. Alex is the one with a medical background. She should’ve probably called her first. It’s just, she’s more comfortable being vulnerable with Kara. And even then, it’s just out of sheer necessity. She’s desperate and she needs help. If she could’ve managed to drive herself to the hospital, Kara probably would have never known how much this is rattling her. 

“ _I can also call Alex for you, if you’re not comfortable._ ”

A sad smile graces Lena’s lips at how considerate Kara is. More tears slip out. It means so much to her Kara is trying to help her so much, even with the simple things.

“No, thank you. I think I can manage.”

“ _Okay. I’m leaving now. Are you back inside? Will you be okay?_ ”

“Yes. I’ll call Alex.” Lena closes the door behind her and sits down on the kitchen floor. She doesn’t feel too well and sitting on any surface higher than the ground seems like a risk she isn’t willing to take. She feels too likely to fall off.

“ _Call me when you’re done calling Alex so you don’t have to wait all alone._ ”

“Okay,” Lena says softly before ending the call. 

She takes a few fortifying breaths to try and feel a little more steady. Her head is starting to hurt too, a dull throb in time with the one in her hand though that is much sharper. 

The phone call with Alex is much more down to business. Lena’s instructed to find something cold, preferably an ice pack or frozen vegetables from her freezer, wrap it in a towel and put it on her hand. She’s also told to take something for the pain. 

It takes some effort to get up and collect everything she needs. Having only one usable hand is really impractical. Eventually, she manages to put some frozen vegetable mix on her hand and some painkillers in her stomach. 

When her phone call with Alex is done — and Alex is on her way over too — Lena calls Kara again. 

Kara keeps a steady stream of words going on and Lena is listening to them but when asked later, she won’t remember anything Kara talked about. It’s just a comforting sound in the quiet and emptiness of her apartment as she waits for both Danvers sisters to arrive and simultaneously tries not to panic and break down again. 

She unlocks the door, leaving it slightly cracked so she doesn’t have to get up again, and sinks back down against the kitchen counter. Kara tells her to breathe deeply, to talk to her.

Lena remains quiet, listening to Kara talking to her. She does mutter something occasionally so Kara knows she’s still there. All the while, Lena tries to keep her breathing steady and deep. Tries to ignore the pain in the hand as she moves the towel with frozen peas around to cool different parts of her fingers. 

It doesn’t take long before Kara arrives. The door creaks open slowly as Kara hesitantly moves inside Lena’s apartment, clearly looking for her before she hangs up the phone. 

“Over here,” Lena says when Kara doesn’t spot her in the first few seconds after entering. 

Kara looks slightly relieved as she puts away her phone but her face quickly morphs back to worry as she gets closer to Lena. She kneels down next to her and flails with her hands, wanting to help but not knowing what to do.

“How are you feeling? You look pale.”

“I am pale, Kara,” Lena retorts with a small smile. She can’t muster anything wider but it’s better than crying at least. 

“I know, but you’re still pale even for you.” Kara puts a hand on Lena’s knee, providing some comfort without jostling Lena or getting too close to her painful hand. Lena appreciates the gesture. Appreciates not being pulled into a full body hug, like Kara is wont to do, even more. Her hand hurts too much for that.

A knock on the door signals Alex’s arrival and Kara quickly gets up to answer it. Kara leads her sister to Lena and Alex snaps into doctor mode.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened, Lena?” she asks. In the meantime she gestures for Lena to give her her good hand. Lena does so before answering the question.

Kara loyally sits down on Lena’s other side, her hand back at Lena’s knee as she silently watches Alex.

“I tried to put away some stuff but I couldn’t reach the shelf so I got out a chair but somehow my foot slipped, I think. I fell right on top of my hand.”

Alex’s hands gently hold Lena’s, the pointer and middle finger of her right hand resting on Lena’s pulse point to track her heartbeat. 

“Okay, and how are you feeling now?”

“My hand hurts.”

Alex hums understandingly. “Do you feel faint? Sick?”

“A tiny bit nauseous maybe but it’s already getting less.” Lena decides to just be honest with Alex. It’s probably only in her benefit when she does so. 

“Is it okay if I look at your hand? I promise I won’t pull at it or poke or anything, I just want to have a look and see what’s going on.”

Lena nods and removes the now no longer frozen peas. Her fingers are already double the size they should be and she’s glad she’s not wearing any jewellery. Alex moves around to get a good look at Lena’s hand and asks her whether she can still move her fingers, which she can but she can no longer fully stretch them or make a fist. At least she still has control of them. 

“Thank you, Lena. I think we should indeed get you to the hospital and have some pictures taken to check whether you broke anything. But even if you did, it doesn’t look too bad. Your fingers are still functioning and you probably can’t move them as much as normal because of the swelling, not because of other damage. Just, better to be safe than sorry. That okay with you?” Alex looks at Lena for confirmation. 

Lena fully trusts Alex’s judgement on this, so she nods. Alex is the expert on this so if Alex says she should get pictures taken, she’s not gonna protest. Right now. She’s in too much pain for that. 

“How’s the pain?” Alex asks, not having made any move to leave yet. 

“Bad but I can handle it.”

“Did you take painkillers yet?” 

“Yes.” Lena gestures to the bottle on the counter. 

Alex takes one look at it, reads the name and turns back to Lena. “I’m gonna need you to take something a little stronger. It’ll also help with the swelling. One moment, I think I have some in my purse. We’ll make sure to get more at the pharmacy when we’re at the hospital, okay?”

Lena nods obligingly. She doesn’t usually take strong painkillers. She doesn’t really take painkillers at all, having grown up without using them for most of her life. Not that Lillian wanted her to suffer, just that she didn’t often have anything that hurt and her periods were more manageable with hot water bottles and the pill than painkillers. 

“Will it make me be all weird like those people in the YouTube videos Kara sometimes sends me?” she asks after a moment, fearing the answer. She isn’t ready to embarrass herself. Certainly not ready to say something she might regret. Expose her secrets and darkest thoughts. 

“No,” Alex laughs heartily. “Nothing that strong. Just something slightly stronger than what you’re currently taking, because that’s clearly not doing enough.”

Alex returns to Lena’s side, a glass of water and a small white pill in her hand. “This is still over the counter, no worries. You probably won’t even notice a thing, except your hand hurting less.”

Relieved, Lena takes the pill from Alex’s hand and swallows it with some water. 

“Can we take your car?” Alex asks when Lena’s done. “I took my bike.” It goes unspoken Kara has arrived by public transport. She doesn’t own a car, like most sane people in National City. 

“Yes, the keys are on the table.” Lena slowly gets up, only taking Kara’s hand when she’s already on her own two feet because she still doesn’t feel too stable on her feet and getting up with one hand is hard enough. 

Alex takes the keys and Kara helps Lena, holding doors open for her and talking about everything and nothing to distract Lena from the pain. It helps a little and Lena’s extremely grateful for her. 

Alex takes the driver’s seat without asking and Lena and Kara get in the back together. Lena doesn’t want to part from the person who gives her comfort — or from Kara in general but that’s a recurring issue she’s already had to overcome multiple times. Kara doesn’t seem inclined to let go of Lena either, only releasing Lena’s hand long enough for them to get in on opposite sides of the car.

The entire ride, Kara’s thumbs strokes Lena’s hand. Her chipper voice piercing the otherwise silent air as she talks about a new donut place she’s tried the other day.

* * *

After a lot of waiting, a doctor looking at Lena’s hand and two X-rays from different angles, Lena’s given a splint for her fingers and sent home. Luckily, it’s just a bad strain and a tiny bone splinter. 

Relieved but tired, and still in some pain, Lena’s brought home by Kara and Alex. Kara holds the doors open for her while Alex carries her purse. Both things she could do herself but she’s still grateful for not having to. She’s too tired to fight them on it. 

“You should put on some comfy clothes,” Kara says after they enter Lena’s apartment. Lena looks down at her jeans and sweater, her heeled boots. Obediently, she nods and makes her way to the bedroom. 

“Do you need any help?” 

With some effort, Lena finds words to answer Kara with. “No, thank you. I’ll manage.”

Whenever she’s really tired, like now, and especially when she’s hurt, talking becomes an effort. Something she has to actively work to do. 

Lena makes her way over to the bedroom and changes in an oversized sweater she’s borrowed — stolen, really — from Kara, leggings and fluffy socks — a gift from Kara. It’s a little struggle to unbutton her pants and slip them off without putting too much strain on her hand but she manages. Thankfully. It’s one thing to need help now but if she can’t dress herself in the morning or for the rest of the week — or next few — she’ll lose all her independence and that is probably one of the most terrifying things that could possibly happen to her. In Lena’s opinion.

Much to her surprise, Kara and Alex are still there when she enters the living room.

Her confusion must show because Kara gestures for her to sit down with them as she explains, “We couldn’t just leave you after the day you’ve had. Unless you want us to?”

Lena shakes her head. She doesn’t need them to leave. It’s kind of nice to have friends over now. To not be alone.

As Lena makes her way over, Kara scoots a little to the side in a silent invitation Lena gladly accepts. She curls up next to Kara, knees pulled up and hurt arm held close to her chest. Elevated, her fingers hurt less and sitting like this makes it less likely someone else bumps into her hand. 

Kara’s arm wraps around Lena and pulls her a little closer. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired. And my hand still hurts a little.” Lena thinks for a moment what more she’s feeling. There’s nothing more to add. She actually feels quite good, all things considered. Her clothes are comfortable and she’s cuddled up with Kara, what more could she want right now?

“Did you have dinner before you hurt yourself?” Kara asks, ever the attentive friend.

“Oh. No, I don’t think so. I wanted to have it after I finished cleaning up.”

“What are you feeling like having? You should eat at least something or your body won’t have energy to heal.”

“Something light maybe. Soup?”

“Soup’s a good idea. Everyone likes soup. Except the people who don’t like it, I guess. Soup’s still good, as an idea. I’ll order you some.” 

Lena can’t help let out a small chuckle as Kara awkwardly adjusts her glasses to recover from her ramble.

“Want to watch a movie in the meantime?” Kara suggests. Both of them have completely forgotten about Alex, sitting back on the other couch with her phone in hand. 

“Okay. How about one of those ones you keep talking about?”

“Ohhhhhh!!!” Kara nearly vibrates with excitement. Lena knows how long she’s been wanting to make her watch some of her favourite movies. “Which one?”

“I don’t mind. The one with the talking llama you can’t stop talking about?”

Lena’s sure Kara’s going to vibrate herself into another dimension with how excited she gets at that suggestion. 

“The emperor’s new groove!” Kara breathes, her voice a slightly higher pitch than usual.

“Oh no. I think you broke her,” Alex deadpans. “If I had known you could do that, I’d have sought you out and befriended you when I was a teen.”

Lena smiles at that. She knows it’s just sibling banter. Alex wouldn’t want Kara to actually break — or worse — and it’s always nice to hear confirmation of her friendship with Alex. It’s something she’s still kind of insecure about at times. Alex can come off a little cold and is very protective of Kara but Lena’s slowly learning Alex is also very fond and protective of her. Just not as much as of Kara.

“Hey, if you want I can ask Kelly to bring some soup. She’s on her way anyway.”

Kara’s focussed on pulling up the movie but at the mention of Kelly she looks up. “Is Kelly coming over too? To join for the movie?”

“Oh, well, she was going to pick me up but I guess we could ask her to stay, if that’s what you want.” Alex specifically looks at Lena when she makes the suggesting. 

Lena feels kind of flattered Alex cares about her opinion and wants to make her as comfortable as possible. “If she’s okay with watching a movie, it could be nice.”

“Impromptu movie night,” Kara declares as she relaxes back into the couch, her head leaning towards Lena just the slightest. 

Alex calls Kelly and asks her to join movie night and bring soup for all of them. Kelly hands Lena a bowl of vegetable-noodle soup, which makes Lena instantly a little happier because somehow someone made sure she got her favourite soup. 

She’s pretty sure her eyes turn a little glassy when she thanks Kelly before she digs in. She has moved to the floor so the bowl can sit on her coffee table since she’s not really able to hold it with only one hand and at the same eat from it with that same hand. 

The entire time she’s sitting on the floor — on a pillow now because Kara insisted — she can feel Kara’s presence behind her. She feels Kara’s eyes on her back and, occasionally, Kara’s foot bump against her hip. It doesn’t bother her one bit. She’s rather comforted by knowing Kara’s behind her and paying attention to her and her needs. 

As soon as Lena finishes eating, she takes back her place on Kara’s side. Curled up in Kara’s arms. They spend the entire movie sitting like that, no matter the looks Kelly and Alex send them. 

By the end of the movie, Lena’s gone from tired to utterly exhausted but filled with so much love she feels like her heart might explode if more is added. She lets out a big yawn, which prompts Kara to help her up and drag her along to her bathroom. 

“Brush your teeth and off to bed with you,” Kara instructs, putting Lena in front of her sink. 

Lena obediently takes her toothbrush and toothpaste and starts her bedtime ritual. She does have to ask Kara to squeeze some toothpaste on her brush because she can’t manage with one hand. If she really had to, she could have figured it out probably but she’s tired and it’s just easier to have Kara help her when she notices her struggling. 

When Lena’s done and ready for bed, with a little more of Kara’s help, she lets Kara tuck her in under her blanket. Kara takes care to tuck in all the sides of the blanket, making Lena into a burrito. It feels very comfortable and warm. 

“Promise to call me if you need anything. _Anything_ , okay?” Kara asks, an insisting look on her face. 

“Okay,” Lena agrees, more so because she doesn’t want to disappoint Kara than because she’s actually going to call her if she needs help. 

“Even if you can’t open a bottle or put on your socks or whatever thing you might feel like would be bothering me. You got hurt and to heal faster you’re going to have to take it easy. So don’t do anything that hurts or might end up hurting you, okay?” 

Kara looks really cute concerned. The small crinkle above her eyes very defined. Lena almost wants to reach out and brush it away. To put Kara at ease. Instead, she agrees. 

“I promise I’ll call you if I need help.” This time, she means it. It would probably make Kara very happy when Lena calls her and Lena will do anything to make Kara happy. 

She yawns again. She knows it’ll make Kara leave sooner, something she doesn’t want, but she can’t help it. She’s just so tired.

“Good night. Sweet dreams.” Kara leans forward, slowly inching closer. The distance between their faces getting smaller and smaller by the second. Then, Kara’s lips press to Lena’s forehead. 

Lena can’t help closing her eyes and losing herself in the feeling of being so loved and cared for. The feeling of Kara’s warm and soft lips pressed to her forehead. 

Far too soon, Kara pulls back and with a short exchange of goodbyes, she’s out the door. 

Lena lets herself linger in the feeling of Kara a little longer. Of Kara’s presence. Kara’s warmth. Kara’s hug. Kara’s lips. Kara’s love.

_Oh_.

_Kara’s love_ , Lena realises with a start. 

_Oh._

Yes. She is definitely in love with her best friend. Head over heels.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [tumblr](https://s-nebul0sa.tumblr.com) if you want to find me elsewhere. (Or send some love and encouragements because I need them. I'm dying of stress. My body has already given up on me. lol I sound so pathetic.)


End file.
